At Work With...

Ana Merchant
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Careers
  • Updated fortnightly

Step into 'At Work With...', where we uncover the real, unfiltered stories behind successful careers. Join us as industry leaders share their breakthrough moments, spectacular failures, and unconventional paths to the top. No corporate jargon or polished PR answers – just honest conversations about what it really takes to build a remarkable career. Whether you're climbing the corporate ladder, considering a career pivot, or building your own empire, join us as we decode success, one conversation at a time.

  1. 1 day ago

    She Left Harvard to Solve Period Poverty | Ira Guha, Founder of Asan Cup

    In this video, Ira Guha shares how her journey from Bangalore to Cambridge, Accenture, Harvard, and eventually rural India led her to create Asan Cup and take on period poverty.She reflects on the shame, cost, product design, and social enterprise lessons behind building a menstrual cup that aims to make safe period care more accessible around the world.Mentioned in the Episode🌐 Asan Cup — https://asancup.com/🎬 Pad Man — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7218518/🌐 ActionAid UK — Period poverty research: https://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/2025/05/28/cost-period-poverty-risen🎓 Harvard Innovation Labs — https://innovationlabs.harvard.edu/🎓 Harvard Kennedy School — Master in Public Policy: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/educational-programs/masters-programs/master-public-policy🎓 University of Cambridge — https://www.cam.ac.uk/🌐 Accenture — https://www.accenture.com/🌐 athenahealth — https://www.athenahealth.com/🌐 TOMS Impact — https://www.toms.com/pages/impact🌐 ISO 13485 — Medical device quality management standard: https://www.iso.org/standard/59752.html🌐 National Health Mission — ASHA Workers: https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=1&sublinkid=150&lid=226Music: "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue)License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/TIMESTAMPS00:00 🩸 Period Poverty No One Talks About00:39 👋 Meet Ira Guha01:53 🏙️ Growing Up in Bangalore03:17 💪 The Family Lesson That Shaped Her04:01 🏀 Period Poverty on the Basketball Team05:08 🛍️ Carrying Soiled Pads in Secret06:13 🤐 Why Period Shame Is Universal08:47 🎓 Cambridge, Accenture & Harvard09:18 🏢 The First-Day Corporate Wake-Up Call11:30 🧑‍🍳 Mary’s Story13:00 🔴 The Cup That Changed Everything16:01 💡 Turning 50 Cups Into a Business Model17:37 🧪 Building the First Prototype at Harvard20:43 💸 When “At Cost” Still Wasn’t Affordable21:23 🔁 Why Buy-One-Donate-One Wasn’t Enough24:08 🤝 The Power of Trusted Local Women27:06 🚫 Why She Rejects “Imposter Syndrome”30:05 🧾 What We Don’t Know About Period Products34:13 🇬🇧 The UK’s Period Poverty Crisis36:36 💔 The Founder Rejection Spiral39:59 🎯 Build for a Real Problem42:55 ⚡ Quick-Fire Round#atworkwith #periodpoverty #asancup #founder #socialenterprise

    44 min

  2. 15 Jun

    Amazon Executive: I Had No Roadmap, No Connections, And Nothing To Lose | Mimi Swain

    🧪 1N Labs — consciously formulated nicotine products for adults who already use oral nicotine, made with high-quality ingredients and tested in UK labs. 👉 https://www.1nlabs.comNicotine is a highly addictive substance and is for adult consumers only, 18+.Disclaimer: Any sponsor messages included in this episode are arranged by At Work With only and do not imply affiliation with, endorsement by, or partnership with the guest.In this video, Mimi Swain shares how growing up as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants shaped her ambition, work ethic, and sense of responsibility.She reflects on growing up in the Midwest, feeling pressure to choose a stable path, learning to move through rooms where few people looked like her, and building confidence by taking action before she felt ready.Mimi also opens up about the cold email that changed her career, her decade at Ring, stepping into leadership at Amazon Devices & Services, working motherhood, prioritization, identity, and the advice she would give to women who are trying to grow into the next version of themselves.Connect with Mimi Swain🔗 LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimiswain🌐 Website — https://www.mimiswain.comThank you to 1N Labs for sponsoring this episode.🧪 1N Labs — consciously formulated oral nicotine products for adults who already use oral nicotine, made with high-quality ingredients and tested in UK labs. 👉 https://www.1nlabs.comNicotine is a highly addictive substance and is for adult consumers only, 18+.Disclaimer: Any sponsor messages included in this episode are arranged by At Work With only and do not imply affiliation with, endorsement by, or partnership with the guest.TIMESTAMPS00:00 💌 One Cold Email Changed Everything00:20 👋 Meet Mimi Swain — CMO at Amazon Devices & Services01:45 🪑 Moving in Rooms Where Few People Look Like You03:11 🇻🇳 Growing Up as a Child of Vietnamese Immigrants04:29 🧱 The Pressure to Choose Stability06:14 🌾 Growing Up Vietnamese-American in Kansas06:37 🫥 Wanting to Blend In08:34 👨‍👧 Her Dad’s Rules for Life and Work11:41 👶 Raising Kids With Empathy and Perspective12:41 🏢 Did She Ever See Herself in Corporate America?16:53 💌 Cold Emailing Ring’s Founder19:22 🚀 10 Years of Nonlinear Growth20:39 🧩 Startup, Acquisition, and Scaling at Amazon21:00 🤰 Pregnancy, Leadership, and Building Systems That Don’t Need You24:12 📅 What a Normal Week Looks Like at Amazon25:37 🎯 Prioritization, Identity, and Voice26:44 📣 What People Get Wrong About Marketing27:40 👩‍👧 Motherhood, Ambition, and the “Three-Hour Mom” Debate30:23 🧸 Weekends, Family Time, and Presence31:29 ⚖️ Feeling Stretched Between Work and Home32:41 🪞 What She Wants Her Kids to See33:49 🧭 Advice to Her Younger Self35:06 🔎 The Life Audit for Mid-Career Women35:50 ⚡ Quick-Fire RoundMusic: "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue)License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

    39 min

  3. 3 Jun

    The Hidden Cost of High Performance | Zertashia Awan

    🧪 1N Labs — consciously formulated nicotine products for adults who already use oral nicotine, made with high-quality ingredients and tested in UK labs. 👉 https://www.1nlabs.comNicotine is a highly addictive substance and is for adult consumers only, 18+.In this video, Zertashia Awan shares how years of high performance, resilience, and pushing through warning signs eventually led her body to force a hard stop.She reflects on growing up between cultures, rising from a contact centre role to senior leadership, writing Toxic Resilience, and learning how to build success without sacrificing your health, relationships, and sense of self.Mentioned in the Episode📖 Toxic Resilience by Zertashia Awan — https://zertashiaawan.com/🌐 Toxic Resilience Book Resources — https://zertashiaawan.com/resources/🔗 Zertashia Awan on LinkedIn — https://ae.linkedin.com/in/zertashiaawan🌐 1N Labs — https://www.1nlabs.com🛵 GoPuff — https://www.gopuff.com📺 Dubai Bling — https://www.netflix.com/title/81462121Thank you to 1N Labs for sponsoring this episode.🧪 1N Labs — consciously formulated oral nicotine products for adults who already use oral nicotine, made with high-quality ingredients and tested in UK labs. 👉 https://www.1nlabs.comNicotine is a highly addictive substance and is for adult consumers only, 18+.TIMESTAMPS00:00 💥 "I Had to Work Harder Than the Men"00:29 👋 Meet Zertashia Awan — From Amazon to DoorDash01:53 🤫 The World's Most Hopeless Introvert04:47 🌍 Growing Up Between Cultures07:20 👀 The Microaggressions That Stay With You11:49 👨‍👧 Losing Her Dad at Five14:12 ❓ The Question That Changed Her Family's Future20:29 🚀 From Contact Centre to VP23:40 🏥 When Her Body Finally Shut Down28:23 ⏳ "I Don't Have Time to Be Unconscious"31:17 ✍️ Writing the Book She Needed34:04 ☠️ When Resilience Turns Toxic35:42 🚦 The S.I.G.N.S. of Burnout36:56 📵 The Red Flag She Still Watches For38:28 🎯 The 80% Rule for Perfectionists41:33 🪞 Realizing "I'm the Toxic Boss"44:07 🧨 The 5 Toxic Boss Types46:00 📝 What to Do When You Can't Leave52:20 👩‍💼 Why High-Performing Women Burn Out Faster55:35 🧘 What Rest Feels Like Now57:21 ⚡ Quick-Fire RoundMusic: "Palms Down" by Blue Dot Sessions (https://www.sessions.blue)License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/#atworkwith #toxicresilience #burnout #leadership #womeninleadership #resilience

    59 min

  4. 13 Apr

    A BBC Journalist on Grief: The Ugly, Honest, Unfiltered Version

    In this episode, Barbara Want shares how the death of her husband, BBC Radio 4 presenter Nick Clarke, reshaped her understanding of grief — and why she believes loss never diminishes, only the life around it grows larger.She reflects on 20 years of carrying that grief forward, what the world gets wrong about bereavement, and how to support both adults and children through one of life's most isolating experiences.Mentioned in the Episode📖 Why Not Me?: A Story of Love and Loss by Barbara Want — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FXCSAY🎙️ Fighting to Be Normal — Nick Clarke's BBC Radio 4 audio diary (2006): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00799pn (flag for verification — see Phase 3)🌐 Winston's Wish (childhood bereavement charity) — https://winstonswish.org🌐 Cruse Bereavement Care / Cruse Bereavement Support — https://www.cruse.org.ukTIMESTAMPS00:00 👋 Meet Barbara Want — BBC Producer, Journalist & Widow01:00 🎓 Growing Up in Pinner & Getting into Cambridge02:17 📺 Buying a TV Just to Ace Her BBC Interview06:32 🎬 The Reality of Life as a BBC Producer09:35 💑 Meeting Nick Clarke 11:00 🎉 A Party, a Published Book, and Days Left of Joy11:52 💔 The Diagnosis That Changed Everything13:00 🏥 The Amputation & the Moment She Collapsed14:21 🎙️ Recording "Fighting to Be Normal" While Living It16:44 📞 Re-Diagnosed18:50 🤝 "You Are the Best Friend I've Ever Had"19:00 ✨ Why Nick's Death Was, in Its Own Way, Beautiful20:05 📖 The Brutal Truth About Grief22:09 🪨 "Grief Never Ends"25:43 🚪 Winston's Wish & Why Bereaved Children Are Invisible27:44 🏫 What Schools Get Right (and Wrong) About Children's Grief30:00 📅 20 Years On — Does It Still Feel Like Yesterday?31:58 🫂 Friendships Lost in the Wreckage34:33 💪 How Her Relationship with Grief Has Changed35:50 📣 Real Advice for the Bereaved (No Instagram Memes)37:48 🌟 What Gives Her Joy Now38:15 ⚡ Quick-Fire Round:#atworkwith #grief #bbc #journalist

    46 min

  5. 8 Apr

    Trailer: BBC Journalist and Author, Barbara Want.

    TW: cancer, loss, and grief. I cried on camera for the first time. Five episodes in, and I've kept it together through every conversation. But sitting across from Barbara Want, hearing her tell this story, I couldn't. June 2005. Barbara had just published her first book. She threw a party. Her 3-year-old boys were there. Her husband Nick got her a little desk mount that said "author" because he knew she'd always wanted to publish a book. She was so excited. So proud. It was the most beautiful moment. And within a few days, the whole thing crumbled. Nick had cancer. Barbara was angry at herself for not having suspected. She went with him to the operating theater, trying to stay strong for him, for the boys. The minute he went through the doors, she collapsed on the floor. Sitting there, listening to her, I realized this is what At Work With™ is actually about. Not just the wins. Not just the career pivots or the success stories. The moments when your dream arrives and your life falls apart at the same time. And what it takes to rebuild after that. 🎧 NEW EPISODE Monday — Barbara Want, BBC journalist, author, and one of the most vulnerable conversations I've ever had.

    1 min

  6. 30 Mar

    A Coach Told Him He'd Never Make It. He Won Olympic Gold | British Rower Morgan Bolding

    In this video, Olympic gold medalist Morgan Bolding shares how growing up in care, being adopted by his grandparents, and entering rowing through a state school — not the private school pipeline — shaped an 18-year journey to winning gold at Paris 2024.He breaks down his three Ps framework for resilience, reveals the brutal politics of subjective team selection, and offers an unfiltered take on what it actually takes to build an Olympic career when the system wasn't built for you.🔗 CONNECT WITH MORGAN BOLDING💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-bolding📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganboldingTIMESTAMPS00:00 🌟 Meet Morgan Bolding01:19 🧒 Morgan's Formative Years01:54 🌍 From Bosnia to Leeds 03:00 👴 Finding Stability with His Grandparents04:28 🚣 Rowing Found Me 05:52 🔥 When Did Rowing Become Everything?07:57 🎓 Does British Rowing Have a Class Problem?10:12 🏛️ The Political Side of Selection 12:41 💪 The Discipline Question 13:56 ❤️ Purpose Over Gold 14:42 📅 Finally Selected, Then the Olympics Get Postponed18:03 🧠 The Three Ps 21:01 ☕ The Ritual That Kept Them Sane22:03 ⚖️ Why Rowing Selection Is So Subjective26:08 😤 The Darkest Years — 2019 to 202227:09 🔁 Inputs Don't Always Equal Outputs30:01 🏋️‍♂️ A Typical Training Day 32:50 🍕 What an Olympic Athlete Actually Eats36:08 📱 IWhy Perfection Is Dangerous Advice38:16 🏔️ Winning Gold, Then What39:45 😢 The Most Emotional Moment41:43 💬 What He'd Tell That Kid in Care43:17 🔄 Life After the Olympics45:31 ⚡ Rapid Fire Round#atworkwith #podcast #rowing #olympics #paris2024 #goldmedalist #resilience #mentalhealth

    49 min

  7. 16 Mar

    Why Hard Work Isn't Enough: The Truth About "Unfair Advantages” | Hasan Kubba

    In this video, entrepreneur and best selling author Hasan Kubba shares how an unconventional, non-linear path — from dropping out of biomedical science to building a passive-income SEO business — led him to co-author a bestselling book on success that challenges hustle culture. He breaks down the MILES framework for identifying your unfair advantages, explains why disadvantages are often double-edged swords, and offers a grounded, honest take on what it actually takes to get a traditional publishing deal without a platform.🔗 CONNECT WITH HASAN KUBBA🌐 Website: https://www.hasankubba.com📚 The Unfair Advantage: https://www.theunfairacademy.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startuphasan🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/StartupHasanTIMESTAMPS00:00 🌟 Meet Hasan Kubba00:18 💡 The Core Idea: It's Not Just Hard Work00:54 👋 Welcome to At Work With01:19 🧒 Growing Up Shy — Hasan's Formative Years02:12 🌍 From Iraq to the UK — Cultural Expectations of Success03:28 🎓 Economics Degree — And Why Banking Wasn't the Answer05:08 😰 The Fear, Perfectionism & Procrastination Nobody Talks About07:46 💼 Getting Jobs in Sales to Light the Fire08:30 🌴 Making It Work — Passive Income and Traveling Southeast Asia10:33 📖 How the Book Idea Was Born — Meeting Co-author Ash Ali12:07 🤔 Why "Just Work Hard" Is Dangerous Advice14:18 🏆 Introducing the MILES Framework15:01 💰 M — Money (Resources at Your Disposal)15:21 🧠 I — Intelligence and Insight16:27 📍 L — Location and Luck16:49 🎓 E — Education and Expertise17:56 👑 S — Status (The Most Powerful of All)19:05 🔄 How Disadvantages Can Become Advantages20:40 🪞 Self-Awareness Is Step One22:09 💪 Double Down on Your Strengths, Not Your Weaknesses22:16 📚 Getting a Book Deal Without a Following24:37 💡 The "Idea Worth Spreading" Test for Your Book27:08 🗺️ The Map Is Not the Territory31:20 🎬 Fight Club, Office Space, and Defining Success on Your Own Terms33:23 🧔 Hasan's Dad, the Pub, and Structural Barriers to Promotion37:09 🤖 Adaptability Is the Key Skill in the Age of AI38:21 ⚡ Rapid Fire Round41:38 👨‍👧‍👦 What Hasan Will Tell His Kids About Success#atworkwith #podcast #business #entrepreneurship #unfairadvantage #advantage #success

    42 min

  8. 2 Mar

    I Left a "Glamorous" NYC Life to Build a Nicotine Brand | Terry Seal of 1n Labs

    In this episode, Terry Seal shares her journey from moving 12 times as a child to becoming CEO of a celebrity chef's empire in New York, to founding 1n Labs, a nicotine brand challenging everything the industry thought it knew. We discuss what it really takes to build in a stigmatised space, why she designed her product for biohackers instead of the mainstream, and how every unexpected chapter of her career was quietly preparing her for this one.Check Out 1n Labs🌐 Website: https://www.1nlabs.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1nlabs💼 LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1n-labsConnect with Terry Seal💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrysealTimestamps:00:00 🎙️ Meet Terry Seal, Founder of 1n Labs01:21 🌍 Growing Up Moving 12 Times & Adapting05:58 🍷 From Corporate to CEO for a Celebrity Chef07:31 📉 The Reality of Running a Personality-Led Business10:31 🇩🇪 Moving to Berlin & The "Startup Weekend" Pivot12:13 💡 Discovering the Gap in the Nicotine Market15:27 😒 Dealing with Negative Reactions from Friends & Family18:31 👩‍💼 Being the Only Woman in the Room20:51 🍬 What is 1n Labs? (Intentional, Clean Nicotine)22:09 🧬 Biohacking Explained (It's Not Just for Billionaires)25:28 💡 The Pop-Up: Red Light Therapy & Brain Mapping30:45 🛡️ Staying True to the Vision vs. Investor Noise34:31 🗣️ Advice for Building "Controversial" Products35:55 🏗️ Realizing She Loves the "Zero to One" Build37:46 ⚡ Quick Fire Question#atworkwith #biohacking #1nlabs #podcast #nicotine #startup #startuplife

    40 min
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About

Step into 'At Work With...', where we uncover the real, unfiltered stories behind successful careers. Join us as industry leaders share their breakthrough moments, spectacular failures, and unconventional paths to the top. No corporate jargon or polished PR answers – just honest conversations about what it really takes to build a remarkable career. Whether you're climbing the corporate ladder, considering a career pivot, or building your own empire, join us as we decode success, one conversation at a time.

Information

  • Creator
    Ana Merchant
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ana Merchant
  • Show Website
    At Work With...